A reader brings us this news from Ann Arbor: "A University of Michigan project to bridge the gender gap in science and engineering has been so successful that officials have decided to make it permanent with funding commitments approved through at least 2011." The program, called ADVANCE and supported by the National Science Foundation, was launched in 2001 to get more women science and engineering faculty to come to the University of Michigan -- and stay. Since then, the number of women hired for these positions has tripled. Before, women made up 14 percent of tenure-track hires in those fields; now they're at 34 percent. A January 2005 campus survey also found "an improved work environment for women science and engineering faculty." Moving forward, ADVANCE will broaden its goals to address underrepresented groups in other disciplines.
Just one concern: Who on earth will these accomplished women marry?
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